Oil prices rise amid fears of US strikes on Iran – as it happened

Both the US and Iran embark on military posturing amid a stand-off over Tehran’s nuclear programme

If Keir Starmer is ousted, Labour could still win the next election. Here’s how that would work

Once a PM is seen as hapless, there is no way back. But Labour has good plans – and with the political landscape fragmented, it could yet prevail, says Guardian columnist Larry Elliott

Retailers in UK plan to cut staff hours and jobs amid rising employment costs

BRC survey finds finance bosses expect technology to improve productivity, with 69% pessimistic about the economy

Countries that do not embrace AI could be left behind, says OpenAI’s George Osborne

Without AI you will be a ‘weaker and poorer nation’, says former UK chancellor two months into job at US firm

Reform UK would restore two-child benefit cap, Jenrick says in policy U-turn

Treasury spokesperson says disability benefits would also be limited under Reform, but Bank of England would stay independent

March cut to UK interest rates more likely after inflation drops to 10-month low; London house prices fall – as it happened

FTSE 100 hits record high after UK inflation falls to 3% in January, thanks to cheaper petrol and air fares, and a slowdown in food inflation

Death tax? Property tax? Four ideas that could offset inheritance inequality in Australia

How do we solve the predicted entrenched disparity arising out of the great wealth transfer? We ask economists for their suggestions

UK inflation falls to 3%, boosting hopes of early cut in interest rates

January annual drop is lowest level since March 2025, although still above Bank of England’s 2% target

UK interest rate cut likely in March as unemployment rate rises; youth joblessness to ‘increase significantly’ in coming months – as it happened

City traders expect cut to UK interest rates next month after jobless rate rises to 5.2%

UK shelves £110m frictionless post-Brexit trade border project

Programme launched by last Tory government was worked on by Deloitte and IBM but was paused in 2024

UK unemployment rate hits five-year high of 5.2% as wage growth cools

ONS figures raise the prospect of a further interest rate cut by Bank of England in the spring

Gloom for UK workers as incomes flatline and jobs market falters

Falls in inflation and interest rates could leave Britain better off this year, but at the cost of high unemployment

Starmer’s options in funding a further defence spending rise would be limited

Competing domestic priorities, Treasury borrowing limits and already nervous lenders are among the many obstacles

UK consumer sentiment takes a tumble; bad weather threaten fruit supplies but boosts Morocco’s wheat crop – as it happened

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as UK households grow more worried about debts

Britons feeling ‘dismal’ about finances amid mounting debts, survey finds

Consumer confidence at its lowest level in two years, as young people in particular face money pressures